Sighting in Augea, December 6, 2018

At around 8:20 pm, the driver of a car, travelling with their spouse, saw a luminous phenomenon cross the sky very quickly from the southwest toward the east. The witness described a very bright, flashing white light 15 to 20° above the horizon. Above the flashing, they also noticed a much fainter red light, laser-like, that stayed on the whole time. They had the impression of a large dark mass, like a big cargo aircraft, surrounding these two points. Their spouse did not see the red light. The sighting lasted 3 to 5 seconds, and no sound was heard, even with the window open.

The account was taken by the gendarmerie, with no technical questionnaire, photos or video, and no other witness came forward. GEIPAN therefore rated the case as having medium consistency.

According to the investigation, the speed, brightness and very short duration of the sighting suggest a fireball, and the flashing resembles the bursts of light a fireball gives off when it breaks up. At the same time, seven observers in southern Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Italy reported a very bright fireball to the International Meteor Organization. Its path, from southwest to northeast or from west to east, and its angular height match the witness's account. These observers reported green, light blue or yellow, which differs from the colours described here. GEIPAN explained the difference by colour perception varying from one witness to another, and by the possibility that the fireball changed colour as it entered the atmosphere. The case was classified A: observation of a fireball.